Refugees in South Africa share acts of kindness with their hosts
A community of Somali refugees stand together with their South African neighbours to assist those struggling the most during the COVID-19 pandemic. By Kate Pond in Pretoria, South Africa It is the kindness of strangers that fuels Saeed Mohamed’s passion to give back....
#IAmAnAdvocate: Peace Collective founder Yanal Dhailieh on refugee advocacy and supporting survivors of the Beirut explosion
SIGN THE #IAMANADVOCATE PLEDGE NOW As the child of former refugees, Canadian entrepreneur Yanal Dhailieh knew he had to help when he saw how the deadly Beirut explosion was affecting refugees and the host community in Lebanon. The 30-year-old founder and CEO of...
Refugees find help with mental health effects of Beirut blast
With her daughter left traumatized by the 4 August explosion, Syrian mother Fahima approached UNHCR, who arranged for professional help with her mental recovery. By Warda Al-Jawahiry and Rihab Charida in Beirut, Lebanon When the shockwave from Beirut’s port explosion...
COVID-19 inducing ‘widespread despair’ among refugees, UNHCR appeals for urgent support for mental health
The consequences of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, deteriorating socio-economic conditions, protracted displacement and the critical shortfall in solutions to displacement are leading to widespread despair among refugees, warns UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency today....
Q&A: ‘Before the pandemic, refugee mental health was severely overlooked. Now it’s a full-blown crisis’
UNHCR’s Senior Mental Health Officer Pieter Ventevogel says COVID-19 has been a tipping point for many refugees in distress. But with the crisis comes an opportunity. By Tim Gaynor Psychiatrist Pieter Ventevogel has led UNHCR’s mental health response for the past six...
A month after Moria fires, UNHCR warns of worsening conditions ahead of winter
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Four weeks after the fires destroyed Moria Reception and Identification Centre on...
Thousands flee armed group attacks in eastern DR Congo
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is rushing support to tens of thousands of people who...
Rohingya refugee children learn to support one another
Peer-to-peer mental health initiative helps young refugees learn to cope with a life in exile in Bangladesh. By Don Murray and Louise Donovan in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Kneeling with 14 other children in a circle, 13-year-old Myshara calls out: “When we’re in...